Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to the committee today. We're both honoured to have been afforded the time of the committee.
This brief is being provided to underscore the critical need for a cohesive and collaborative approach to environmental prediction in Canada. We strongly advocate developing a co-operative institute that supports collaboration across academia, government and industry.
First, we know environmental predictions play a pivotal role in decision-making processes. They influence strategies related to infrastructure development, environmental stewardship, resource allocation and public safety. However, the absence of a cohesive and nationally coordinated prediction system in Canada has led to a fragmented prediction landscape. Academic contributions often exist as disjointed, short-term projects, while government capabilities are unevenly distributed across provincial and federal jurisdictions. This fragmentation results in inconsistent resource allocation and duplicated services.